Pictures of man appearing to try opening car doors and rummage around inside have sparked fears on social media.
A still image from a CCTV clip posted in the Colchester Community/Crime Group on Facebook was shared widely by several of its 22,800 members, who said they deplored of the man’s actions and encouraged people to spread the post in a bid to catch the culprit.
The owner of the CCTV, who asked to remain anonymous, later provided moving images from the CCTV from the incident at around 7pm on Tuesday, February 5 in Mersea Road, Colchester.
He says he has passed the footage to Essex Police, with officers looking into the incident.
An Essex Police spokesman said: “A Vauxhall Astra was broken into in Mersea Road, Colchester, at 7.10pm on February 5.
“Nothing was stolen. Witnesses are asked to call Colchester local policing team on 101 quoting reference 42/19894/19.”
Alternatively people can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
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